Juventus duo produce solid displays despite Italy heartbreak
Juventus duo produce solid displays despite Italy heartbreak While the night ended on a sour note for Italy, Juventus stalwarts Manuel Locatelli and Federico Gatti did their part in Bosnia. The Azzurri will skip the World Cup for the third straight time after yet another play-off heartbreak, this time at the hands of Bosnia. The Italian began the play-offs on the right foot, beating Northern Ireland in the semi-finals by two goals to nil in Bergamo.
However, they failed to complete the job in Bosnia. Manuel Locatelli pulled the strings for Italy Moise Kean gave the visitors the lead after 15 minutes, as they appeared to be on their way towards punching their ticket to the World Cup finals. However, Gennaro Gattuso’s plans unravelled when Alessandro Bastoni received his marching orders for a late tackle while being the last defender.
The Azzurri tried to hold on, but Haris Tabakovic ended their resistance in the 79th minute. Bosnia eventually prevailed in the shootouts 4-1 , as Francesco Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante failed to hit the target. Nevertheless, JuventusNews24 identifies Locatelli and Gatti as two of Italy’s best performers.
The Juventus captain was in the starting lineup, operating as a deep-lying playmaker. The 28-year-old shielded the backline and had an important role in the buildup with his vertical plays. Locatelli earned a 7/10 rating, which is the highest among Italian players alongside Kean and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Federico Gatti put on a good shift at the back Gatti started his outing on the bench, but he came in just before half-time when Bastoni was sent off, replacing Mateo Retegui. The Juventus defender held his own at the back against Edin Dzeko and the rest of the Bosnian attackers, although he couldn’t clear the cross that culminated in the equaliser. The source gave the 27-year-old a solid 6.